Certain refrigerator appliances include a dispenser for directing ice from the refrigerator's ice maker and/or liquid water to the dispenser. A user can activate the dispenser to direct a flow of ice or liquid water into a cup or other container positioned within the dispenser. Liquid water directed to the dispenser is generally chilled or at an ambient temperature.
Further, certain refrigerator appliances can also include features for dispensing heated liquid water. The heated liquid water can be used to make certain beverages, such as coffee or tea. Refrigerators equipped to dispense heated liquid water can assist with making such beverages. In some cases, however, users may desire only, for example, a single serving of a beverage, such as a hot beverage.
Many presently known apparatus for dispensing single servings of beverages are separate from refrigerator appliances, taking up valuable counter space. Further, such apparatus typically are not connected to household or office plumbing, and thus must be manually filled with a liquid, such as water, for use. Further, presently known apparatus for dispensing single servings of beverages utilize pumps to create the pressure that drives liquid into and through single serving dispensers. Use of such pumps is typically not desirable, for a variety of reasons. For example, the addition of such pumps to the apparatus increases the cost and complexity of the apparatus. Further, the use of such pumps to drive liquid into and through single serve dispensers can cause unpredictable liquid flow rate variations, which can lead to unpredictable contact time for the liquid in the single serve dispensers and resulting decreases in single serve beverage quality.
Accordingly, an improved refrigerator appliance which included features for dispensing single serve beverages would be desired. In particular, methods and apparatus for dispensing single serve beverages from refrigerator appliances which control the flow rate of the liquid flowed to single serve dispensers would be advantageous.